Crowdfunding commences for ‘Time Capsule to Mars’

posted Jun 27, 2014, 10:22 PM by Siamak Ebarhimi

student-led mission will deliver three nanosatellites to Mars containing files uploaded by people across the world.CrowdFunding advertizing

A new crowdfunding project has begun with the goal of sending small time capsules to Mars. According toNBC News, the Time Capsule to Mars campaign aims to raise $25 million to send a cargo of tiny probes into space and eventually to Mars. Contributors get to upload a photo, some text, or an audio or visual clip for 99 cents; the data will be encoded on a quartz-crystal memory module encased in a CubeSat.CrowdFunding marketing

The CubeSats are each a cube four inches wide. These nanosatellites would be launched aboard a commercial orbital mission, and then journey to Mars with their ion-electrospray propulsion systems. The memory modules inside would last for millions of years.Kickstarter Marketing

The nanosatellites will include revolutionary technologies in addition to their means of propulsion; these include inflatable antennas, deep-space internet connections, and sophisticated radiation sensors. The CubeSat itself would incorporate titanium and aerogel to shield the memory modules during the fiery entry into Mars’ atmosphere.Indiegogo Marketing

While NASA plans to launch astronauts towards Mars in the 2030s, the Time Capsule to Mars mission is intended to launch within the next five years. The project was conceived by Emily Briere, a senior at Duke University. Other students and faculty from Duke are involved, as well as participants at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Connecticut. Among the mission’s advisors are Buzz Aldrin and Lockheed Martin executives.crowdfunding websites

The collaborative nature of the Time Capsule to Mars mission is also represented in its crowdfunding campaign; anyone willing to contribute 99 cents can participate in the mission. Furthermore, basic uploads from people in the developing world will be free.kickstarter project

In addition to the Time Capsule to Mars mission, several other non-governmental initiatives are underway to advance Martian exploration. Mars One is intends to send colonists on one-way missions to Mars in the 2020s. Inspiration Mars hopes to conduct a manned flyby of Mars in the next decade.indiegogo marketing